Speaker terminals

ABSTRACT

Embodiments for speaker terminals of a speaker assembly are provided. The speaker terminals may include a first rigid conductive structure having (i) a first input terminal configured to couple to a first output of an audio source and (ii) a first output terminal configured to couple to a first input of a voice coil, and a second rigid conductive structure having (i) a second input terminal configured to couple to a second output of the audio source and (ii) a second output terminal configured to couple to a second input of the voice coil. A speaker basket is molded about at least a portion the first rigid conductive structure and at least a portion of the second rigid conductive structure. Such a speaker basket having molded within the speaker terminals may be a component in a speaker assembly.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, tomethods, systems, products, features, services, and other elementsdirected to media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

In some media playback devices, a speaker is driven when an audio signalis provided from an audio source to the speaker via wires connecting theaudio source to a voice coil of the speaker. In such media playbackdevices, a durability of the media playback device may depend on areliable connection of the wire between the voice coil and the audiosource.

Additionally, an electromagnetic field is created around the wireswhenever an audio signal passes through the wires. The electromagneticfield may disrupt operations of other components, such as a wirelesscommunication interface. Accordingly, a reliability of the mediaplayback device may depend on an ability to account for theelectromagnetic field created around the wires when designing the mediaplayback system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologymay be better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example pair of speaker terminalstructures;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative example of a terminal-embedded speakerbasket;

FIG. 3 shows an example method for manufacturing speaker terminals and aspeaker basket;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of components of a speakerassembly;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative example of a speaker assembly;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative example of a speaker array; and

FIG. 7 shows a functional block diagram of a media playback device.

The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments,but it is understood that the inventions are not limited to thearrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

Examples described herein involve speaker terminals that help provide areliable connection between a speaker voice coil and an audio source.The example speaker terminals further provide predictablecharacteristics of an electromagnetic field created when an audio signalis provided from the audio source to the voice coil. Accordingly, theelectromagnetic field may be accounted for when designing a mediaplayback device that includes such speaker terminals.

For instance, if the media playback device includes a network interface,the network interface may be positioned and/or designed to account forthe predictable characteristics of the electromagnetic field. Likewise,if a position of the network interface is already determined, a positionof the speaker terminals in the playback device may be determined basedon the predictable characteristics of the electromagnetic field suchthat the electromagnetic field minimally disrupts an operation of thenetwork interface. Further, positions of both the network device and thespeaker terminals may be determined to account for the predictablecharacteristics of the electromagnetic field. Other examples are alsopossible.

In one example, an input of a speaker may include a pair of rigidconductive structures. A first of the pair of rigid conductivestructures may include a first input terminal configured to couple to afirst output of an audio source and a first output terminal configuredto couple to a first input of a voice coil. The second of the pair ofrigid conductive structures may include a second input terminalconfigured to couple to a second output of the audio source and a secondoutput terminal configured to couple to a second input of the voicecoil. The pair of rigid conductive structures may then be at leastpartially molded within a speaker basket.

A speaker may then be assembled using the speaker basket having moldedwithin the pair of rigid conductive structures. The speaker assembly mayfurther include a magnetic structure coupled to the speaker basket. Avoice coil may be magnetically suspended about a central portion of themagnetic structure. As indicated above, the first output terminal of thefirst rigid conductive structure may be coupled to the first input ofthe voice coil. In one case, a conductive wire from the first input ofthe voice coil may be conductively coupled (i.e. soldered) to the firstoutput terminal. Likewise, the second output terminal of the secondrigid conductive structure may be coupled to the second input of thevoice coil.

The speaker assembly may further include a speaker cone having an innerrim and an outer rim. The inner rim may be coupled to the voice coil,and the outer rim may be coupled to the speaker basket via a surround. Aspider may further couple the voice coil to the speaker basket. An audiosignal provided from the audio source to the first input terminal of thefirst rigid conductive structure and the second input terminal of thesecond rigid conductive structure may then cause a voice coil to moveaxially along the central portion of the magnetic structure. Themovement of the voice coil may then create vibrations in the speakercone, thereby producing sound.

In one example, the first and second input terminals of the first andsecond rigid conductive structures may be conductively coupled (i.e.soldered) directly to a printed circuit board (PCB) patterned to routeaudio signals from the audio source to the speaker assembly. Such adirect conductive coupling between the terminals of the speaker assemblyand the PCB may help offer a robust and reliable connection between thespeaker and the audio source.

When an audio signal is passed through the first and second rigidconductive structures, an electromagnetic field is created around thefirst and second input terminals. In this case, a rigidity of the firstand second rigid conductive structure, and in particular a rigidity ofthe first and second input terminals of the first and second rigidconductive structures allows the characteristics of the createdelectromagnetic field to be substantially consistent and thereforepredictable. In the case that the speaker assembly is a part of a mediaplayback device, design of the media playback device and othercomponents in the media playback device may accordingly take intoaccount the predictable characteristics of the electromagnetic field.For instance, as indicated above, a position and/or design of a networkinterface of the media playback device may be determined at leastpartially based on the predictable characteristics of theelectromagnetic field.

In one example, the media playback system may include an array of two ormore speaker assemblies. In such a case, the input terminals of the twoor more speaker assemblies may be conductively coupled to the same PCB.Such a configuration may allow more efficient, consistent, and reliableassembly of a media playback device.

As indicated above, examples described herein involve rigid speakerterminals that provide a reliable connection between a speaker voicecoil and an audio source, as well as predictable characteristics of anelectromagnetic field created when an audio signal is provided from theaudio source to the voice coil.

In one aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a firstrigid conductive structure that has (i) a first input terminalconfigured to couple to a first output of an audio source and (ii) afirst output terminal configured to couple to a first input of a voicecoil, and a second rigid conductive structure that has (i) a secondinput terminal configured to couple to a second output of the audiosource and (ii) a second output terminal configured to couple to asecond input of the voice coil. The apparatus further includes a speakerbasket molded about at least a portion the first rigid conductivestructure and at least a portion of the second rigid conductivestructure.

In another aspect, a method is provided. The method involves forming afirst rigid conductive structure having (i) a first input terminalconfigured to couple to a first output of an audio source and (ii) afirst output terminal configured to couple to a first input of a voicecoil, forming a second rigid conductive structure having (i) a secondinput terminal configured to couple to a second output of the audiosource and (ii) a second output terminal configured to couple to asecond input of the voice coil, and molding a speaker basket structureabout at least a portion of the rigid conductive structure.

In a further aspect, a speaker array is provided. The speaker arrayincludes a printed circuit board (PCB), and a first speaker assembly.The first speaker assembly includes a first voice coil, a first rigidconductive structure having (i) a first input terminal rigidly coupledto a first output of the PCB and (ii) a first output terminal coupled toa first input of the first voice coil, a second rigid conductivestructure having (i) a second input terminal rigidly coupled to a secondoutput of the PCB and (ii) a second output terminal coupled to a secondinput of the first voice coil, and a first speaker basket molded aboutat least a portion the first rigid conductive structure and at least aportion of the second rigid conductive structure.

While discussions of examples herein may generally be directed to aspeaker terminal, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatthe examples and variations of the examples can also be implementedand/or utilized for other purposes as well.

II. Example Speaker Terminals for a Speaker Assembly

As indicated above, examples described herein involve speaker terminalsthat provide a reliable connection between a speaker voice coil and anaudio source. Included in the following sections are discussionsrelating to example speaker terminals, example methods for manufacturingthe example speaker terminals, and example speaker assemblies thatinclude the example speaker terminals, among other discussions.

a. Example Speaker Terminals

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example pair of speaker terminal structures100. As shown, the pair of speaker terminal structures 100 includes afirst rigid conductive structure 110 and a second rigid conductivestructure 120.

The first rigid conductive structure 110 may have a first input terminal114, and a first output terminal 112. The first input terminal 114 maybe configured to couple to a first output of an audio source. In oneexample, the first input terminal 114 may be conductively coupled to aprinted circuit board (PCB) patterned to route the first input terminal114 to the first output of the audio source. In one case, a structure ofthe first input terminal 114 may be designed to be conducive to such aconductive coupling to the PCB. For instance, as shown, the first inputterminal 114 may have a flat surface for contacting a conductive portionof the PCB at which the first input terminal 114 may be conductivelycoupled to the PCB. An example of such a PCB is shown in and discussedbelow in connection to FIG. 6.

The first output terminal 112 may be configured to couple to a firstinput of a voice coil. In one example, the first output terminal 112 maybe conductively coupled to the voice coil via a first wire lead from thevoice coil. For instance, the first wire lead may be soldered to thefirst output terminal 112. In one case, a structure of the first outputterminal 112 may be designed to be conducive to such a conductivecoupling to the first wire lead from the voice coil. For instance, asshown, the first output terminal 112 may have one or more hook-likestructures around which the first wire lead can be wrapped. The wrappingof the first wire lead around the one or more hook-like structure mayreduce any stress on a solder join between the first wire lead and thefirst output terminal 112 during handling (i.e. manufacturing/assembly)or operation of a speaker assembly that includes the first rigidconductive structure.

As shown, the second rigid conductive structure 120 may have a secondinput terminal 124, and a first output terminal 122. The second inputterminal 124 may be configured to couple to a second output of the audiosource. In one example, the second input terminal 124 may beconductively coupled to the PCB, which may be patterned to also routethe second input terminal 124 to the second output of the audio source.In one case, the structure of the second input terminal 124 may besimilar to the structure of the first input terminal 114. For instance,the structure of the second input terminal 124 may also have a flatsurface for contacting a conductive portion of the PCB at which thefirst input terminal 124 may be conductively coupled to the PCB. Inanother case, the structure of the second input terminal 124 may bedifferent from the structure of the first input terminal 114. Otherexamples are also possible.

The second output terminal 122 may be configured to couple to a secondinput of the voice coil. In one example, the second output terminal 122may be conductively coupled to the voice coil via a second wire leadfrom the voice coil. In one case, a structure of the second outputterminal 122 may be similar to the structure of the first outputterminal 112. For instance, the second output terminal 122 may also haveone or more hook-like structures around which the second wire lead canbe wrapped. In another case, the structure of the second output terminal122 may be different from the structure of the first output terminal112. Other examples are also possible.

In one example, the first rigid conductive structure 110 and the secondrigid conductive structure 120 may make up a signal path for adifferential signal, such as a differential audio signal. As such, thefirst input terminal 114 and the second input terminal 124 may make up adifferential input terminal of the speaker terminal structures 100,while the first output terminal 112 and the second output terminal 122may make up a differential output terminal of the speaker terminalstructures 100.

In one case, the first input of the voice coil and the second input ofthe voice coil may make up a differential input of the voice coil.Accordingly, the differential output terminal of the speaker terminalstructures 100 may be coupled to the differential input terminal of thevoice coil via the first and second wire leads.

In one example, at least a portion of the first rigid conductivestructure 110 and at least a portion of the second rigid conductivestructure 120 may be molded within a speaker basket structure. FIG. 2shows an illustrative example of a terminal-embedded speaker basket 200.The terminal-embedded speaker basket 200 includes a speaker basket 202which has molded within at least the portion of the first rigidconductive structure 110 and at least the portion of the second rigidconductive structure 120. As shown, the first input terminal 114 of thefirst rigid conductive structure 110 and the second input terminal 124of the second rigid conductive structure 120 may be outside of (and notmolded within) the speaker basket 202, and extends out from a side ofthe speaker basket 202.

Further, the first output terminal 112 (as also shown in FIG. 2) and thesecond output terminal 122 (obscured by the speaker basket 202 andtherefore not shown in FIG. 2) may also be not molded within the speakerbasket 202, and is exposed along respective inner sections of thespeaker basket 202.

In one example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first input terminal 114may be parallel to the second input terminal 124. In another example,the first input terminal 114 may be orthogonal to the second inputterminal 124. As indicated above, an electromagnetic field may becreated about the first input terminal 114 and the second input terminal124 when an audio signal is provided to the first input terminal 114 andthe second input terminal 124. Characteristics of the createdelectromagnetic field may depend on an orientation of the first inputterminal 114 relative to the second input terminal 124. In other words,given substantially the same audio signal, the created electromagneticfield may differ between the case the first input terminal 114 isparallel to the second input terminal 124, and the case the first inputterminal 114 is orthogonal to the second input terminal 124.Nevertheless, given the rigid structure of the first input terminal 114and the second input terminal 124, the characteristics of the createdelectromagnetic field may be consistent, and therefore predictable for arange of audio signal magnitudes and frequencies that are providedthrough the first input terminal 114 and second input terminal 124.

b. Example Methods for Manufacturing Speaker Terminals

FIG. 3 shows an example method 300 for manufacturing speaker terminalsand a speaker basket, such as those shown in and described in connectionto FIGS. 1 and 2. Method 300 includes one or more operations, functions,or actions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 302-306. Although theblocks are illustrated in sequential order, these blocks may also beperformed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those describedherein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks,divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desiredimplementation. In addition, for the method 300 and other processes andmethods disclosed herein, the flowchart shows functionality andoperation of one possible implementation of present embodiments. In thisregard, each block may represent a module, a segment, or a portion ofprogram code, which includes one or more instructions executable by aprocessor for implementing specific logical functions or steps in theprocess.

The program code may be stored on any type of computer readable medium,for example, such as a storage device including a disk or hard drive.The computer readable medium may include non-transitory computerreadable medium, for example, such as computer-readable media thatstores data for short periods of time like register memory, processorcache and Random Access Memory (RAM). The computer readable medium mayalso include non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent longterm storage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks,compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computerreadable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storagesystems. The computer readable medium may be considered a computerreadable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device. Inaddition, each block in FIG. 3 may represent circuitry that is wired toperform the specific logical functions in the process.

As shown in FIG. 3, the method 300 involves forming a first rigidconductive structure having a first input terminal and a first outputterminal at block 302, forming a second rigid conductive structurehaving a second input terminal and a second output terminal at block304, and molding a speaker basket structure about at least a portion ofthe first rigid conductive structure and at least a portion of thesecond rigid conductive structure at block 306.

At block 302, the method 300 involves forming a first rigid conductivestructure having a first input terminal and a first output terminal. Thefirst rigid conductive structure of block 302 may be the first rigidconductive structure 110 of FIGS. 1 and 2. As such, the first inputterminal may be the first input terminal 114, and the first outputterminal may be the first output terminal 112.

In one example, the first rigid conductive structure 110 may be formedby stamping the first rigid conductive structure 110 out of conductivematerial. In another example, the first rigid conductive structure 110may be formed by machining the first rigid conductive structure 110 fromconductive material. In yet another example, the first rigid conductivematerial 110 may be formed by molding the conductive structure fromconductive material. In the above examples, the conductive material maybe one or more of a copper, aluminum, silver, and gold alloy, amongother possibilities. Other examples are also possible.

At block 304, the method 300 involves forming a second rigid conductivestructure having a second input terminal and a second output terminal.The second rigid conductive structure of block 304 may be the secondrigid conductive structure 120 of FIGS. 1 and 2. As such, the secondinput terminal may be the second input terminal 124, and the secondoutput terminal may be the second output terminal 122.

Forming of the second rigid conductive structure 120 may be similar tothe formation of the first rigid conductive structure 110 described inconnection to block 302. As such, any discussion relating to theformation of the first rigid conductive structure 110 may also beapplied to the formation of the second rigid conductive structure 120.Other examples are also possible.

At block 306, the method 300 involves molding a speaker basket structureabout at least a portion of the first rigid conductive structure and atleast a portion of the second rigid conductive structure. Referringagain to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first rigid conductive structure may be thefirst rigid conductive structure 110, the second rigid conductivestructure may be the second rigid conductive structure 120, and thespeaker basket structure may be the speaker basket 202.

In one example, molding of the speaker basket 202 about at least theportion of the first rigid conductive structure 110 and at least theportion of the second rigid conductive structure 120 may involvepositioning the first rigid conductive structure 100 and the secondrigid conductive structure on a frame (or matrix), such that at leastthe portion of the first rigid conductive structure 100 and at least theportion of the second rigid conductive structure 120 is within a moldingcavity of the frame. As indicated previously, the first input terminal114, first output terminal 112, second input terminal 124, and secondoutput terminal 122 may be outside the molding cavity when the firstrigid conductive structure 100 and the second rigid conductive structureis positioned on the frame.

Upon positioning the first rigid conductive structure 100 and the secondrigid conductive structure 120 on the frame as described, the speakerbasket 202 may be molded within the molding cavity of the frame. Moldingof the speaker basket 202 may be performed using a compression moldingprocess, a transfer molding process, or an injection molding process,among other possibilities. In one example, the speaker basket 202 mayinclude a plastic material.

In some cases, multiple molding iterations may be performed to producethe speaker basket 202. For instance, the speaker basket 202 may includemultiple types of plastic material for different structural propertiesat different parts of the speaker basket 202. In such a case, each ofthe molding iteration may be performed to mold a different plasticmaterial to form a different part of the speaker basket 202. Thedifferent molding iterations may be performed using one or more moldingprocesses, including those listed above. Other examples are alsopossible.

Upon molding the speaker basket 202 about at least the portion of thefirst rigid conductive structure 110 and at least the portion of thesecond rigid conductive structure 120, the terminal-embedded speakerbasket 200 as shown in FIG. 2 may be provided. As will be discussed inthe following sections, the terminal-embedded speaker basket 200 maythen be used in a speaker assembly.

c. Example Speaker Assembly

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of components 400 of a speakerassembly, and FIG. 5 shows an illustrative example of a speaker assembly500 including the components 400. The components 400 include a domeassembly 402, a voice coil 404, the terminal-embedded speaker basket200, a gasket 406, a washer 408, a magnet 410, a spacer 412, and a cup414. The gasket 406 may be provided to as an interface for mounting thespeaker assembly 500. The dome assembly 402 may include a speaker coneand a surround coupled to an outer rim of the speaker cone. In somecases, the dome assembly 402 may also include a dust cap covering acentral opening of the speaker cone. The washer 408, magnet 410, spacer412, and cup 414 make up a magnetic structure, and the washer 408 andmagnet 410 may make up a central portion of the magnetic structure.

As discussed above, the terminal-embedded speaker basket 200 may havethe first input terminal 114 of the first rigid conductive structure 110and the second input terminal 124 of the second rigid conductivestructure 120 extending out from a side of the speaker basket 202.Likewise, terminal-embedded speaker basket 200 may have the first outputterminal 112 and the second output terminal 122 exposed along respectiveinner sections of the speaker basket 202.

The first output terminal 112 of the first rigid conductive structure110 may be conductively coupled to a first input of the voice coil 404,and the second output terminal 122 of the second rigid conductivestructure 120 may be conductively coupled to a second input of the voicecoil 404. As described above, a first wire lead from the first input ofthe voice coil 404 may be soldered to the first output terminal 112 anda second wire lead from the second input of the voice coil 404 may besoldered to the second output terminal 122.

The magnetic structure may be coupled to the terminal-embedded speakerbasket 200. In one case, the magnetic structure may be coupled to theterminal-embedded speaker basket 200 via the cup 414. The voice coil 404may be magnetically suspended about the central portion of the magneticstructure. An inner rim of the speaker cone (which may define thecentral opening of the speaker cone) may be coupled to the voice coil,and the dome assembly 402 may be coupled to the terminal-embeddedspeaker basket 200 via the surround of the dome assembly 402. In somecases, the components 400 of the speaker assembly 500 may also include aspeaker spider structurally coupling the voice coil 404 to the speakerbasket 202. The speaker spider may be provided to help maintain aconcentric position of the voice coil 404 relative to the magneticstructure.

In one example, a differential audio signal provided from the first andsecond outputs of the audio source to the voice coil via the first rigidconductive structure 110 and second rigid conductive structure 120 maydrive the voice coil and cause the voice coil to move axially along thecentral portion of the magnetic structure. The axial movement of thevoice coil may create vibrations in the speaker cone, thereby producingsound.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first input terminal 114 and the second inputterminal 124 may extend out from the speaker assembly 500. As discussedpreviously, the first input terminal 114 and the second input terminal124 may be coupled to the first output of the audio source and thesecond output of the audio source, respectively, via a PCB. Forinstance, the first input terminal 114 and the second input terminal 124may each be soldered to the PCB and conductively routed to the firstoutput and second output, respectively, of the audio source. In somecases, the PCB may be conductively coupled to the audio source viaadditional wires and/or PCB's. Other examples are also possible.

In some cases, an air-tightness of a speaker cavity in a media playbackdevice may affect an audio quality of the media playback device. Assuch, in one example, a speaker basket such as the terminal-embeddedspeaker basket 200 may be molded such that the speaker assembly 500 asshown in FIG. 5 is effectively air-tight, thereby ensuring a consistentaudio quality of the media playback device. Other examples are alsopossible.

III. Example Speaker Array

In one example, a media playback device, such as one that is discussedin the following section, may include an array of two or more speakerassemblies. In such a case, the input terminals of the two or morespeaker assemblies may be conductively coupled to the same PCB. Asindicated previously, such a configuration may allow more efficient,consistent, and reliable assembly of a media playback device.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative example of a speaker array 600. The speakerarray 600 includes a first speaker assembly 602, a second speakerassembly 604, and a third speaker assembly 606. The speaker array 600further includes a PCB 610 having PCB outputs 622, 624, and 626, and PCBinputs 632, 634, and 636. The PCB 610 also includes conductive routes612 a and 612 b coupling the PCB output 622 to the PCB input 632,conductive routes 614 a and 614 b coupling the PCB output 632 to the PCB634, and conductive routes 616 a and 616 b coupling the PCB output 636to the PCB input 626. One having ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the speaker array 600 is just one illustrative exampleof a speaker array. For instance, the speaker array 600 may includefewer or more speaker assemblies. Other examples are also possible.

Each of the speaker assemblies 602, 604, and 606 may be a speakerassembly similar to the speaker assembly 500 shown in and discussedabove in connection to FIG. 5. In other words, each of the speakerassemblies 602, 604, and 606 may include components such as thecomponents 404 shown in and discussed above in connection to FIG. 4, andassembled as described above in connection to FIGS. 4 and 5. While thespeaker assemblies 602, 604, and 606 shown in FIG. 6 appear to besubstantially the same, one having ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the speaker assemblies 602, 604, and 606 may bedifferent speaker assemblies. For instance, speaker assembly 602 may bea smaller speaker assembly configured to play high frequency audiocontent, while speaker assembly 606 may be a larger speaker assembleconfigured to play low frequency audio content. Other examples are alsopossible.

The first speaker assembly 602 may be coupled to the PCB 610 via aconductive coupling between the PCB output 622 and input terminals ofthe first speaker assembly 602. Similarly, the second speaker assembly604 may be coupled to the PCB 610 via a conductive coupling between thePCB output 624 and input terminals of the second speaker assembly 604,and the third speaker assembly 606 may be coupled to the PCB 610 via aconductive coupling between the PCB output 626 and input terminals ofthe third speaker assembly 606.

The PCB inputs 632, 634, and 636 may each be coupled to the audio sourceeither directly, or via additional wires and/or PCB's. The audio sourcemay provide to PCB input 632, via a first audio source output, a firstaudio signal to be played by the first speaker assembly 602. Similarly,the audio source may provide to PCB input 634, via a second audio sourceoutput, a second audio signal to be played by the second speakerassembly 604, and provide to PCB input 636, via a third audio sourceoutput, a third audio signal to be played by the third speaker assembly606. As indicated above, each of the first, second, and third audiosignals may be differential audio signals.

In one case, each of the first, second, and third audio signals may bethe same audio signal. In another case, each of the first, second, andthird audio signals may be different audio signals. For instance, thefirst audio signal may include primarily high frequency audio content tobe played by the first speaker assembly 602, while the third audiosignal may include primarily low frequency audio content to be played bythe third speaker assembly 603. Other examples are also possible.

As discussed previously, when an audio signals are passed through theconductive routs 612 a, 612 b, 614 a, 614 b, 616 a, and 616 b, and theinput terminals of the speaker assemblies 602, 604, and 606,electromagnetic fields may be created around the input terminals and theconductive routes. In the examples discussed herein, however, thecharacteristics of the created electromagnetic fields may besubstantially predictable due to the rigid and consistent positioning ofthe input terminals and conductive routes when the speaker array 600 isimplemented within a media playback device.

As such, design of the media playback device and other components in themedia playback device may take into account the predictablecharacteristics of the created electromagnetic field. In one example, ifthe media playback device has a wireless communication interface thatincludes an antenna, a configuration of the antenna may be determinedbased the predictable characteristics of the created electromagneticfield. Referring back to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the configuration of theantenna may be determined based on at least an orientation of the firstinput terminal 114 of the first rigid conductive structure 110 and anorientation of the second input terminal 124 of the second rigidconductive structure 122.

In another example, the antenna and/or other circuitry of the wirelesscommunication interface may be positioned a predetermined distance awayfrom the first input terminal 114 and the second input terminal 124. Thepredetermined distance may be determined as a disruptive range of thecreated electromagnetic field during regular media playback by the mediaplayback device. For instance, if the wireless communication interfaceoperates reliably under a certain amount of interference, thepredetermined distance may be determined as a distance from the firstinput terminal 114 and the second input terminal 124 at which thecreated electromagnetic field causes less than the certain amount ofinterference. The wireless communication interface may then bepositioned at least the predetermined distance away from the first inputterminal 114 and the second input terminal 124.

In further example, both a position of one or more speaker assemblies(and accordingly, a position of the one or more respective differentialinput terminals of the speaker assemblies) in the media playback deviceand a position of the wireless communication interface may be determinedtogether according to the predictable characteristics of theelectromagnetic field and the predetermined distance. Other examples arealso possible.

One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the componentdesign and positioning considerations described above may also beapplied to components in the media playback device, other than thewireless communication interface. In other words, a position of anycomponent in the media playback system of which operations may bedisrupted by the electromagnetic field may be determined at leastpartially based on the predictable characteristics of theelectromagnetic field.

IV. Example Media Playback Device

FIG. 7 shows a functional block diagram of a media playback device 700within which one or more speaker assemblies and/or speaker arrays asdiscussed in the previous sections may be implemented. The mediaplayback device 700 may include a processor 702, software components704, memory 706, audio processing components 708, audio amplifier(s)710, speaker(s) 712, and a network interface 714 including wirelessinterface(s) 716 and wired interface(s) 718. The speaker(s) 712 mayinclude one or more of the speaker assemblies and/or speaker arraysdiscussed in the previous sections. As indicated above, one or more ofthe components of the media playback device 700 may be designed and/orimplemented to account for any predictable electromagnetic fieldscreated when an audio signal is provided to the speaker(s) 712. Forinstance, an antenna of the wireless interface(s) 716 may be configuredbased on the predictable electromagnetic fields.

In one example, the processor 702 may be a clock-driven computingcomponent configured to process input data according to instructionsstored in the memory 706. The memory 706 may be a tangiblecomputer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable bythe processor 702. For instance, the memory 706 may be data storage thatcan be loaded with one or more of the software components 704 executableby the processor 702 to achieve certain functions. In one example, thefunctions may involve the media playback device 700 retrieving audiodata from an audio source or another media playback device. In anotherexample, the functions may involve the media playback device 700 sendingaudio data to another device or media playback device on a network. Inyet another example, the functions may involve pairing of the mediaplayback device 700 with one or more media playback devices to create amulti-channel audio environment.

Certain functions may involve the media playback device 700synchronizing playback of audio content with one or more other mediaplayback devices. During synchronous playback, a listener willpreferably not be able to perceive time-delay differences betweenplayback of the audio content by the media playback device 700 and theone or more other media playback devices. U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395entitled, “System and method for synchronizing operations among aplurality of independently clocked digital data processing devices,”which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides in more detail someexamples for audio playback synchronization among media playbackdevices.

The memory 706 may further be configured to store data associated withthe media playback device 700, such as one or more zones and/or zonegroups the media playback device 700 may be a part of, audio sourcesaccessible by the media playback device 700, or a playback queue thatthe media playback device 700 (or some other media playback device) maybe associated with. The data may be stored as one or more statevariables that are periodically updated and used to describe the stateof the media playback device 700. The memory 706 may also include thedata associated with the state of the other devices of the media system,and shared from time to time among the devices so that one or more ofthe devices have the most recent data associated with the system. Otherembodiments are also possible.

The audio processing components 708 may include one or moredigital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, anaudio enhancement component or a digital signal processor (DSP), and soon. In one embodiment, one or more of the audio processing components708 may be a subcomponent of the processor 702. In one example, audiocontent may be processed and/or intentionally altered by the audioprocessing components 708 to produce audio signals. The produced audiosignals may then be provided to the audio amplifier(s) 710 foramplification and playback through speaker(s) 712. Particularly, theaudio amplifier(s) 710 may include devices configured to amplify audiosignals to a level for driving one or more of the speakers 712. Thespeaker(s) 712 may include an individual speaker (e.g., a “driver”) or acomplete speaker system involving an enclosure with one or more drivers.A particular driver of the speaker(s) 712 may include, for example, asubwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), a mid-range driver (e.g., formiddle frequencies), and/or a tweeter (e.g., for high frequencies). Insome cases, each speaker in the one or more speakers 712 may be drivenby an individual corresponding audio amplifier of the audio amplifier(s)710. In addition to producing analog signals for playback by the mediaplayback device 700, the audio processing components 708 may beconfigured to process audio content to be sent to one or more othermedia playback devices for playback.

Audio content to be processed and/or played back by the media playbackdevice 700 may be received from an external source, such as via an audioline-in input connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-inconnection) or the network interface 714.

The network interface 714 may be configured to facilitate a data flowbetween the media playback device 700 and one or more other devices on adata network. As such, the media playback device 700 may be configuredto receive audio content over the data network from one or more othermedia playback devices in communication with the media playback device700, network devices within a local area network, or audio contentsources over a wide area network such as the Internet. In one example,the audio content and other signals transmitted and received by themedia playback device 700 may be transmitted in the form of digitalpacket data containing an Internet Protocol (IP)-based source addressand IP-based destination addresses. In such a case, the networkinterface 714 may be configured to parse the digital packet data suchthat the data destined for the media playback device 700 is properlyreceived and processed by the media playback device 700.

As shown, the network interface 714 may include wireless interface(s)716 and wired interface(s) 718. The wireless interface(s) 716 mayprovide network interface functions for the media playback device 700 towirelessly communicate with other devices (e.g., other media playbackdevice(s), speaker(s), receiver(s), network device(s), control device(s)within a data network the media playback device 700 is associated with)in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any wireless standardincluding IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11 ac, 802.15, 4Gmobile communication standard, and so on). The wired interface(s) 718may provide network interface functions for the media playback device700 to communicate over a wired connection with other devices inaccordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3). While thenetwork interface 714 shown in FIG. 7 includes both wirelessinterface(s) 716 and wired interface(s) 718, the network interface 714may in some embodiments include only wireless interface(s) or only wiredinterface(s). As indicated above, some components of the wirelessinterface(s) 716, such as an antenna may be designed based on anypredictable electromagnetic fields created when an audio signal isprovided to the speaker(s) 712.

In one example, the media playback device 700 and one other mediaplayback device may be paired to play two separate audio components ofaudio content. For instance, media playback device 700 may be configuredto play a left channel audio component, while the other media playbackdevice may be configured to play a right channel audio component,thereby producing or enhancing a stereo effect of the audio content. Thepaired media playback devices (also referred to as “bonded mediaplayback devices”) may further play audio content in synchrony withother media playback devices.

In another example, the media playback device 700 may be sonicallyconsolidated with one or more other media playback devices to form asingle, consolidated media playback device. A consolidated mediaplayback device may be configured to process and reproduce sounddifferently than an unconsolidated media playback device or mediaplayback devices that are paired, because a consolidated media playbackdevice may have additional speaker drivers through which audio contentmay be rendered. For instance, if the media playback device 700 is amedia playback device designed to render low frequency range audiocontent (i.e. a subwoofer), the media playback device 700 may beconsolidated with a media playback device designed to render fullfrequency range audio content. In such a case, the full frequency rangemedia playback device, when consolidated with the low frequency mediaplayback device 700, may be configured to render only the mid and highfrequency components of audio content, while the low frequency rangemedia playback device 700 renders the low frequency component of theaudio content. The consolidated media playback device may further bepaired with a single media playback device or yet another consolidatedmedia playback device.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered)for sale certain media playback devices including a “PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,”“PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any otherpast, present, and/or future media playback devices may additionally oralternatively be used to implement the media playback devices of exampleembodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, it is understood that amedia playback device is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG.7 or to the SONOS product offerings. For example, a media playbackdevice may include a wired or wireless headphone. In another example, amedia playback device may include or interact with a docking station forpersonal mobile media playback devices. In yet another example, a mediaplayback device may be integral to another device or component such as atelevision, a lighting fixture, or some other device for indoor oroutdoor use. Other examples are also possible.

V. Conclusion

The description above discloses, among other things, various examplesystems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including,among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware.It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and shouldnot be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that anyor all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or componentscan be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software,exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the onlyway(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles ofmanufacture.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of aninvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible,non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on,storing the software and/or firmware.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a speaker basket for mounting of aspeaker assembly through an opening in the speaker basket, the speakerassembly comprising a voice coil; a first rigid conductive structurecomprising (i) a first input terminal configured to couple to a firstoutput of an audio source, (ii) a first output terminal configured tocouple to a first input of the voice coil, and (iii) a first connectionelement that electrically connects the first input terminal to the firstoutput terminal, the first connection element molded into the speakerbasket around at least a first portion of the opening in the speakerbasket; and a second rigid conductive structure comprising (i) a secondinput terminal configured to couple to a second output of the audiosource, (ii) a second output terminal configured to couple to a secondinput of the voice coil, and (iii) a second connection element thatelectrically connects the second input terminal to the second outputterminal, the second connection element molded into the speaker basketaround at least a second portion of the opening in the speaker basket.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first input terminal of thefirst rigid conductive structure is parallel to the second inputterminal of the second rigid conductive structure.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first input terminal of the first rigid conductivestructure is orthogonal to the second input terminal of the second rigidconductive structure.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstoutput terminal protrudes from the speaker basket for coupling to thefirst input of the voice coil and wherein the second output terminalprotrudes from the speaker basket for coupling to the second input ofthe voice coil.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the speakerassembly further comprises: a magnetic structure coupled to the speakerbasket, wherein the voice coil is magnetically suspended about a centralportion of the magnetic structure.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe speaker assembly further comprises: a speaker cone having an innerrim and an outer rim, wherein the inner rim is coupled to the voice coiland the outer rim is coupled to the speaker basket via a surround; and aspider coupling the voice coil to the speaker basket.
 7. The apparatusof claim 5, wherein the voice coil is configured to move axially alongthe central portion of the magnetic structure in response to adifferential audio signal provided via the first output of the audiosource and the second output of the audio source.
 8. A methodcomprising: forming a first rigid conductive structure comprising (i) afirst input terminal configured to couple to a first output of an audiosource, (ii) a first output terminal configured to couple to a firstinput of a voice coil, and (iii) a first connection element thatelectrically connects the first input terminal to the first outputterminal; forming a second rigid conductive structure comprising (i) asecond input terminal configured to couple to a second output of theaudio source, (ii) a second output terminal configured to couple to asecond input of the voice coil, and (iii) a second connection elementthat electrically connects the second input terminal to the secondoutput terminal; and molding a speaker basket about the first connectionelement to position the first connection element around at least a firstportion of an opening in the speaker basket and (ii) the secondconnection element to position the second connection element around atleast a first portion of the opening in the speaker basket, wherein aspeaker assembly is mountable through the opening in the speaker basket.9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first output terminal protrudesfrom the speaker basket for coupling to the first input of the voicecoil and wherein the second output terminal protrudes from the speakerbasket for coupling to the second input of the voice coil.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein forming a first rigid conductive structurecomprises one or more of: (a) stamping the fist rigid conductivestructure out of conductive material, (b) machining the first rigidconductive structure from conductive material, and (c) molding the firstrigid conductive structure from conductive material.
 11. The method ofclaim 8, wherein traces of a rigid printed circuit board (PCB) route theaudio source to respective solder terminals of the rigid PCB, andwherein the first input terminal of the first rigid conductive structureis soldered to solder terminals to connect the first output of the audiosource to the first input terminal.
 12. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: constructing a speaker assembly within the speaker basket,the speaker assembly comprising: the voice coil; and a magneticstructure coupled to the speaker basket, wherein the voice coil ismagnetically suspended about a central portion of the magneticstructure.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the speaker assemblyfurther comprises: a speaker cone having an inner rim and an outer rim,wherein the inner rim coupled to the voice coil and the outer rimcoupled to the speaker basket via a surround; and a spider coupling thevoice coil to the speaker basket.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein thespeaker assembly is a component of a media playback device, and whereinthe method further comprises: determining a configuration of an antennaof the media playback device based on an orientation of the first inputterminal of the first rigid conductive structure and an orientation ofthe second input terminal of the second rigid conductive structure. 15.A speaker array comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) comprisingtraces routed to couple to an audio source to a first output of the PCBand second output of the PCB; and a speaker basket for mounting of afirst speaker assembly through an opening in the speaker basket; thefirst speaker assembly comprising: a first voice coil; a first rigidconductive structure comprising (i) a first input terminal rigidlycoupled to a first output of the PCB, (ii) a first output terminalconfigured to couple to a first input of the first voice coil, and (iii)a first connection element that electrically connects the first inputterminal to the first output terminal, the first connection elementmolded into the speaker basket around at least a first portion of theopening in the speaker basket; and a second rigid conductive structurecomprising (i) a second input terminal rigidly coupled to a secondoutput of the PCB, (ii) a second output terminal configured to couple toa second input of the first voice coil, and (iii) a second connectionelement that electrically connects the second input terminal to thesecond output terminal, the second connection element molded into thespeaker basket around at least a second portion of the opening in thespeaker basket.
 16. The speaker array of claim 15, wherein the traces ofthe PCB further comprise: a first signal route comprising the firstoutput of the PCB and a first input of the PCB, wherein the first inputof the PCB is configured to be coupled to a first output of the audiosource; and a second signal route comprising the second output of thePCB and a second input of the PCB, wherein the second input of the PCBis configured to be coupled to a second output of the audio source,wherein the first signal route and the second signal route areconfigured to transmit a differential audio signal from the audio sourceto the first speaker assembly.
 17. The speaker array of claim 15,wherein the first speaker assembly further comprises: a magneticstructure coupled to the speaker basket, wherein the first voice coil ismagnetically suspended about a central portion of the magneticstructure.
 18. The speaker array of claim 15, wherein the speaker basketis a first speaker basket, the speaker array further comprising: asecond speaker basket for mounting of a second speaker assembly throughan opening in the speaker basket; the second speaker assemblycomprising: a second voice coil; a third rigid conductive structurecomprising (i) a third input terminal rigidly coupled to a third outputof the PCB, (ii) a third output terminal configured to couple to a firstinput of the second voice coil, and (iii) a third connection elementthat electrically connects the third input terminal to the third outputterminal, the third connection element molded into the second speakerbasket around at least a first portion of the opening in the secondspeaker basket; and a fourth rigid conductive structure comprising (i) afourth input terminal rigidly coupled to a fourth output of the PCB,(ii) a fourth output terminal configured to couple to a second input ofthe second voice coil, and (iii) a fourth connection element thatelectrically connects the fourth input terminal to the fourth outputterminal, the fourth connection element molded into the second speakerbasket around at least a second portion of the opening in the secondspeaker basket.
 19. The speaker array of claim 17, wherein the firstspeaker assembly further comprises: a speaker cone having an inner rimand an outer rim, wherein the inner rim coupled to the first voice coiland the outer rim coupled to the speaker basket via a surround; and aspider coupling the first voice coil to the speaker basket.
 20. Thespeaker array of claim 18, wherein the traces of the PCB furthercomprise: a third signal route comprising the third output of the PCBand a third input of the PCB, wherein the third input of the PCB isconfigured to be coupled to a third output of the audio source; and afourth signal route comprising the fourth output of the PCB and a fourthinput of the PCB, wherein the fourth input of the PCB is configured tobe coupled to a fourth output of the audio source, wherein the thirdsignal route and the fourth signal route are configured to transmit adifferential audio signal from the audio source to the second speakerassembly.